


What Comes Next

by MagpieFineSheep



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bakery, Cuddling & Snuggling, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieFineSheep/pseuds/MagpieFineSheep
Summary: James is walking on the street and is headed for the Misty Dream, a bakery which is preparing for opening for the next day.  He had remembered that his ex-girfriend, Wen, wanted to open a bakery of the same name, and, wanting her back, he decided to pay her a visit.  Unbeknownst to him, Wen has already moved on and is opening the bakery with Sunflower.  When James enters the bakery, he initially greets and speaks with Sunflower, but suddenly notices that Sunflower is wearing a necklace he gave to Wen while they were dating.  Thinking Sunflower stole it from her, he flies into a rage and punches Sunflower, and throws a platter of pastries at her.  The story continues...
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	What Comes Next

**Author's Note:**

  * For ["Sunflower"](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%22Sunflower%22).



> This work is intended as a prize for a skribble.io contest held on a AO3-fan discord server. 
> 
> The winner, Sunflower, requested a fic with the following elements:  
> \+ "love story between me and wen"  
> \+ "possibly involving bread"  
> \+ "angsty"  
> \+ "theme is angst, involving James break-up with happy ending"  
> \+ "tags: bakery au, wedding crasher, angry ex, pathetic, cuddling"  
> \+ "(james) can you throw and break a lamp at some point"  
> \+ "and james comes to the wedding and tries to do the object or hold peace thing"
> 
> In addition a request from James, who held the tournament:  
> \+ "Make me awesome"
> 
> As such creative liberties were taking to incorporate these elements in the work.
> 
> The personalities and details of characters were fictionalized for the entertainment purpose for this work and do not reflect actual persons in any way.

The world seemed to slow for a moment as the porcelain platter hung midair, as if suspended on delicate threads. The platter that, less than a second ago, carried 15 blackberry macaroons. Not half an hour ago, Wen had given her the sixteenth macaroon, and the memory of the sweet berry flavor had not yet left her tongue.

Sunflower wondered to herself if it was really worth the effort to block the incoming projectile. What’s the point? Blood was already dripping from her left nostril from the previous punch, and the area around her eye looked more like a prune than a human face. She reluctantly decided that it was best to avoid as much further pain as possible, and raised an arm to intercept.

The world seemed to rush back to life as time sped back to its normal cadence.

Sunflower winced as a splash of pain washed over her forearm, and started again as the platter shattered, the small shards skittering across the floor like spiderlings bursting from their egg sacs. 

“I ASKED, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!?” James roared, awesome as a lion standing over his defeated rival, brows furrowed so deep, nearly cutting down into his wild and anguished eyes.

He took a step forward, his foot smashing the fruits of their labor, now scattered carelessly, pulverized into cookie crumbs and splatters of jam.

“G-g-get what?”

He raised his hand, his finger pointing accusingly at her neck.

Sunflower looked down and saw he was pointing at the small necklace with the small pendant she wore. She quickly clasped the cool pendant with her left hand, and enclosed that with her right, as if to shield it from melting from his searing gaze.

James stepped forward again.

“You TOOK it from her...didn’t you?”  
  


Sunflower, shaking slightly, slid her closed hands up to her eyes as they moistened, drops slipping past like rain on a window during a light shower.

“She didn’t take it from me,” a voice said from above and behind Sunflower.

Sunflower heard soft footsteps from the stairs behind her.

James looked up suddenly, eyes widening.  
  


“Wen, babe...” said, standing a little taller, and his expression became softer and sadder. 

“I...I saw the sign outside…” He swallowed hard. “...a cat cafe, the Misty Dream. You always said it would be your baby.”

Leaving the staircase, Wen approached Sunflower, wrapping her arms gently around Sunflower’s body, arms small yet firm. Sunflower felt the warmth emanating from Wen’s chest and arms on her back, cozying her like a thick winter comforter. Looking towards Wen, she saw her gaze fixed on James, who staggered back slightly. Her eyes, unlike her touch, were cool and unyielding.

Color drained from Jame’s face.

“I’ve moved on, James. Things are better for me here.”

“Babe...but…” James stammered, dropping to his knees.

“For the first time...I feel I have someone who cares for ME…,” Wen said, lips tightened. “When you woke, you walked straight out the door with a bucket of feed...the few times we ate together you were thinking how the goats needed new headwear or shoes...and when you got back home in the evening you would collapse on the couch and mutter about the goats in your sleep. It was…like I was barely even there. I know you are a caring person...but for you, it was all about your goats...and there was not enough room for me.”

Sunflower saw the anguish in Wen’s eyes. It wasn’t too long before that she had seen those eyes when Wen had first ran to her from Jame’s house. 

Sunflower had always been close with Wen, so she wasn’t surprised to hear a knock at the door, and find Wen on the other side. However, one look at Wen’s expression, and the duffel bag she had at her feet told her everything. She opened her arms, and Wen walked slowly into them, her arms coiling around her shoulders, and Sunflower’s on hers. Although Wen said nothing, Sunflower could feel the hot tears rolling onto her right shoulder. 

“ _But Wen I NEED you!_ ”

Jame’s screeching beseechment jerked Sunflower’s focus back to the scene before her.

“I’ve _changed,_ ”, he pleaded, “look, after you left, I thought long and hard about what mattered the most to me...and...I realized it was you. So, about a week later, I...I sold them. Pansy...Billy…Jolene….Jackson…” he paused, swiping off a drop from his eye with his finger. “Even my dear Abigail. I made sure they all went to good homes...and I miss them terribly. But I missed you even more…”

He propped up one knee, and reached into his pocket, and from it produced a small black felt box, and held it out. Sunflower felt Wen’s arm slide back as she stood up. Wen stepped slowly around her, and James' eyes fell on Wen hopefully. Sunflower watched as Wen stopped what was, by her guess, 2 steps away from Jame’s kneeling form. 

James spoke again: “I want you back, Wen. You were the dearest person to me. Baby...you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed.” James smiled at the ground, and it wasn’t hard for Sunflower to tell what was coming next. 

“Wen…”

His fingers touched the top of the box, and lifted, slipping it open.  
  
“...will you…”

Crack!  
  
The sound of Wen’s foot smacking the box rang clear through the room. Jame’s hand flew to the right from the impact, and his body spun as his eyes watched in horror as the small box sailed through the air like a soccer ball kicked from midfield, right into the goal, only that the goal had no net, and was, in fact, actually the shop’s open door. His facial expression twisted from shock to rage, and he turned back to face Wen, only to meet her left leg, sweeping him counterclockwise around.   
  
“Out!” Wen declared, and with one final kick, James was sent scrambling for the door on all fours, wailing and sobbing incoherently, and managed to kick over a lamp in a last-ditch effort of revenge before Wen managed to shove him out and slammed the door shut.

As the sounds of a certain vocally disparaging individual faded off into the distance, Wen fell to her knees, then sat on the ground, knees to both sides, exhausted. 

Sun walked on her knees to Wen, and embraced her. They shared a moment of silence among the bits of shattered porcelain and crumbs.

“Thanks Sunflower”

Sunflower looked at and smiled.

“Of, course, Wen.”

They closed their eyes and Wen leaned her forehead on Sunflower’s. It was quiet again.

Ding!

They both jolted up at the sound of the bright chime. The aroma of sweet summer strawberries wafted past Sunflower’s nose.

“Oh! The tarts!” Sunflower sheepishly scurried up. “That’s your cue to check isn’t it?”

She held a hand to Wen, who laughed lightly, then gave her own hands.   
  


“We have a bakery to open, don’t we?”  
  


Wen smiled. Sunflower pulled Wen to her feet, and together they walked back.   
  


“So besides the tarts I think the black forest cake needs to be checked…” Sunflower’s mouth wrinkled in thought, “...what’s next?”


End file.
